First battle of Ypres

WESTERN FACE, BELGIUM .

October 29th - November 24th, 1914

The general Erich von Falkenhayn, chief of general staff, gradually reinforced German IVe and VIe armed around the town of Ypres, held by the British, in order to be able to gain the ports of Calais and Boulogne. On the spot, German enjoys a numerical superiority of 6 against 1 and has more average and heavy artillery.

The offensives start well, and in spite of British and reserve Frenchwoman sending in the sector, the German units are about to bore the line in the south-east of Ypres the 31. The keen resistance of French and the British makes it possible to dam up their progression.

At the beginning of November, German renews their attempt at opening of the face. They progress and seize Dixmude, in the north of Ypres, the 11. However, the British, who essuient most extremely of the attack, drive back the principal German attacks the same day. In spite of several German loads the following days, the engagements decrease. The 12, the first snows announce the end of the campaign.

The first battle of Ypres is a success for French and the British, but its cost is terrible. The two camps were now affairent to dig Tranchées which will run soon of the the North Sea at the border Suisse.

December 14th, 1914

In spite of the degradation of time and the reinforcement of German defenses, French and the British launch a general offensive since the North Sea until Verdun. They think, rightly, that they are in numerical superiority compared to the Germans who dispatched many soldiers since the face Is. They however underestimate the resistance of distinct and the bravery of the German soldiers.

The majority of the attacks are completed on December 24th, without much success. It is only in Champagne, or the French soldiers have moderately advanced, at the price of important human losses, that the engagements continue all the winter. The First battle of Champagne continues in 1915, but elsewhere the engagements cease, and the two camps understand that a fast victory is inconceivable.

The First World War has lasted only for six months and the extent of the human losses is without precedent in the history. Only on the Western face, French, the Belgians and the British lost more than one million men, including one large majority of French. German counts approximately 675.000 killed soldiers, wounded or missing with the combat.

In the same way, the human losses on the face East are without precedent. Some 275.000 German was killed, wounded or make captive. The figure reaches a million for the Austro-Hungarians and 1,8 million for the Russians. In the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarians count 225.000 soldiers killed, wounded, or made captive, while the human losses rise with 170 000 men for the Serbia.

Key event

the truce of Christmas .

With Christmas, the soldiers of the Western face were exhausted and shocked by the extent of the losses which they had undergone since August. In the small hour of December 25th, the British who held the trenches around the Belgian city of Ypres heard Christmas carols coming from the enemy positions, then discovered that Christmas trees were placed along the German trenches. Slowly, the columns of German soldiers left their trenches and advanced until the medium of the No man' S Land, or they invited the British to come to join them. The two camps met in the middle of a landscape devastated by the Obus, exchanged gifts, discussed and played Football.

This kind of truce was current there or the British and German troops faced, and fraternization still continued with places during one week until the military authorities put at it a brake. There was however no truce in the sector or French and German clashed.

April 22nd, 1915 .

April 22nd, the second battle of Ypres on the Western face begins with the use of a Gaz Toxique, the Chlorine . German gathered 4.000 gas cylinders which them IVe armed used to launch an attack. Not having any protection against gases, several units which hold the Northern side of projecting panic and flee, thus opening a 8 km broad breach on the frontline. A second attack with gas takes place the following day.

April 24th .

German uses gas at the time of their offensive on the projecting one of Ypres. Their attack concentrates on Saint-Julien, position held by the 1st Canadian division, which improvises protections using handkerchiefs soaked with Eau or Urine, and prevents the opening German.

May 6th .

The command of British IIe armed with Ypres, the general to sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, is dismissed after having suggested that a tactical withdrawal would reduce the pressure on the projecting one. Its superior, the marshal Sir John French, disapproves and continuous to order counter-attacks, but none enables him to advance to a significant degree. Smith-Dorrien is replaced by the general Herbert Plumer.

May 8th .

At the time of the second battle of Ypres, German seizes the peak of Frenzemberg, which they hold in spite of the counter-attacks

May 24th .

The German attack of Ypres, directed against the peak of Bellewaerde held by the British, makes it possible to gain positions, but it must move back following a British counter-attack. The combat which cease the 25 mark the end of the second battle of Ypres. The British human losses rise with 58.000 men since the beginning of the offensive, the German losses with 35.000 and the French losses with approximately 10.000. The British troops moved back only of 5 km on the face.

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